I'm Dimple Patel and I'm an audio storyteller and producer.
I craft stories in sound for broadcast and creative projects.

Projects

Radio . Podcasts . Documentary . Installations . Exhibitions . Audio Art

Sound Postcards : Parveenben's Shop

An immersive sound installation to be experienced in your own home. Through a set of postcards and your headphones, you will be transported into a house and fabric shop in Leicester.

“Parveenben’s Shop” tells the story of one woman’s love for sewing and the empowerment it brought to both her and her mother. Parveen began as a home dressmaker, stitching clothes for friends and neighbours from the front room of her terraced house in Leicester’s Highfields. Over time, that passion grew into a thriving South Asian clothing business called Fine Fashions - though in the community it was affectionately known as Parveenben’s shop (ben meaning “sister,” a respectful form of address in Gujarati and Punjabi culture).Her daughter, Rifhat, grew up surrounded by fabric and the rhythm of sewing, which has woven itself into her own life. Through a series of postcards, Rifhat shares this story, inviting you into a soundscape and the family home where it all began.

This project uses Audio Augmented Reality (AAR) with a visual element to create an immersive listening experience.

1. Get a set of postcards - email me for a free printed set.

2. Download the free Sound Postcards app on your phone, available on Android and Apple:

3. Put on your headphones.4. Spread out the five postcards around a room - try to place them at the height of tables, shelves, or window sills rather than the floor. You want to space them at least 2 metres apart so that the sounds don’t overlap. When you are ready, stand at the postcard called “The House.”5. Open the app and point your phone at the picture on the postcard to hear the audio.As you move closer, you’ll hear Rifhat’s story; as you step back, the soundscape emerges. Every postcard reveals a different part of the story, and together they create the full journey.You can move around the postcards in any order after “The House.” Experiment with distance and positioning to shape your own listening experience.On the back of each postcard you’ll find details of the image - and even a chai recipe, if you’d like to sip tea while you walk around and listen!

This project uses augmented audio reality (AAR), developed and supported by researchers from the University of Nottingham Live Experiential and Digital Diversification (LEADD:NG) research project.

About

I create narrative, documentary, and issue-based programming, through audio storytelling. For almost 20 years, I was a BBC radio producer, working across journalism and social action campaigns designed to inspire positive change. Now freelancing, I focus on social issues, culture, and heritage, collaborating with broadcasters, charities, museums, and cultural organisations in the UK and internationally.At the heart of my work is a curiosity about human experiences, everyday lives, and overlooked people and places. I believe stories carry tools for survival and threads that connect us all. I’m drawn to projects that spark conversation, make people feel heard, or simply bring a little joy.

Contact

I’m always keen to hear about new projects and welcome enquiries and commissions.

dimple@luminousproductions.co.uk